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Hoosiers

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Hoosiers is a 1986 film about Indiana high school basketball, directed by David Anspaugh and starring Gene Hackman.

Hackman stars as Norman Dale, a former big-time college basketball coach who comes to tiny Hickory, Indiana in 1951 to coach Hickory High's very tiny basketball team. Hackman must overcome his own troubled past, win over the skeptical Hickory townsfolk, and get his players to believe in themselves. In his spare time he romances a schoolteacher played by Barbara Hershey. Dennis Hopper co-stars as Shooter Flatch, a former Hickory High basketball star turned alcoholic hobo, who starts on a redemption quest of his own when he becomes one of Dale's coaches.

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This film provides examples of:

The Ace: Jimmy Chitwood, who will hit just about any shot you ask him to make. The town is very concerned about getting Jimmy to play, as Jimmy has said he won't be playing basketball for the upcoming season.

Ate His Gun: Averted off-screen. After Shooter fell off the proverbial wagon hard one night, during which time he'd humiliated Coach Dale and the entire Hickory team during an important game of theirs, he was later found by his son and Coach Dale, unconscious in a field somewhere with his rifle, having apparently passed out before he could use it on himself. They take him to the hospital to dry out, where he recovers, earning his son's respect for the first time in the process.

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Dark and Troubled Past: Coach Dale has settled for a job at rinky-dink Hickory because he was run out of college basketball for punching one of his players.

David vs. Goliath: Discussed. Quoted verbatim, in fact: "... and David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and flung it, and it struck the Philistine in the head, and he fell to the ground. Amen."

A short and subdued one that shows what a master Coach Dale is at motivating his team. The Hickory kids walk into the arena in Indianapolis and are awed by the sheer size of the place, and how it dwarfs their little gym. Coach Dale then whips out a tape measure and demonstrates that the dimensions of the court are exactly the same as the ones for their court back in Hickory.

Serious Business: The people of Hickory really, REALLY care about the high school basketball team. They have town meetings about the team.

Truth in Television: As cliche as they seem, the final two minutes in the State Championship game are pretty much what happened in real life. The winning shot was hit by a guy named Bobby Plump, who later became one of the leading figures fighting against class basketball in Indiana.

Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Inspired by the Milan Indians team that won the Indiana high school basketball championship in 1954. However, much was changed and fictionalized for the movie, starting with the name of the town. The real coach was 26 years old and in his second season with the team. The real championship was not quite as shocking: Milan made the semifinals the year before. However, Milan was even then a rather small school, and Muncie Central was a large, integrated, traditional basketball power.

Not that this has stopped the town from adoring the movie despite the massive changes. After all, their town was the basis of a movie with a major Hollywood star. Milan's Dairy Queen has a movie poster signed by the '54 Indians team members and any time the movie gets a new release on home media it's going to be sold at the town's grocery store with a prominent display.

What Happened to the Mouse?: Buddy and Whit quit the team in a scene that shows Coach Dale will brook no nonsense from his players. Whit later apologizes and rejoins the team. Buddy later is back on the team too, but we never see how or when he returns.

You Are in Command Now: Dale gets himself taken out of one game, challenging Shooter to step up into the role of coach. After a little fumbling, he does, with some support from his son.

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